Ricky Castillo
Birth dateAugust 28, 2001 (age 25)
Birth placeYorba Linda, California, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in
Weight160 lb
ResidenceJacksonville, Florida, U.S.
CollegeUniversity of Florida
Yearpro2023
TourPGA Tour
ExtourKorn Ferry Tour
Prowins2
Pgawins1
Nwidewins1
MastersDNP
PgaCUT: 2026
UsopenCUT: 2020
OpenDNP
Award 1SEC Freshman of the Year
Year 12020

Ricky Castillo (born August 28, 2001) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.

Early life

Born in Yorba Linda, California, Castillo began playing golf as a young child and attended Valencia High School in Placentia, California.[1]

Amateur career

Castillo earned an exemption into the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot,[2] but missed the cut.[3] From October 7 to November 4, 2020, Castillo was number one on the World Amateur Golf Ranking.[4]

Castillo attended the University of Florida in 2019.[4] As a freshman in 2020, he was honored with both the NCAA Division I Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award and SEC Freshman of the Year honors.[5]

Castillo also represented the United States in team events at the Walker Cup (helping the U.S. win in 2021) and the Arnold Palmer Cup.[6]

In 2023, Castillo played on the Florida Gators team that won the NCAA Golf Championship.[7]

Professional career

Following his collegiate career, Castillo turned professional in 2023.[8] He initially earned conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour through PGA Tour University and, in his debut, won the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open in June 2023.[9] He later earned a PGA Tour card for the 2024–25 season.[10]

In March 2025, Castillo took the place of Victor Perez in the 2025 Players Championship after the French golfer withdrew due to a back injury.[11]

In March 2026, Castillo won the Puerto Rico Open for his first PGA Tour title.[12]

Amateur wins

  • 2016 Los Angeles City Junior, Winn Grips Heather Farr Classic
  • 2018 Los Angeles City Junior Championship, PING Heather Farr Classic
  • 2020 Sea Best Invitational, Florida Gators Invitational[13]
  • 2023 Vystar CU Gators Invitational[14]

Source:[15]

Professional wins (2)

PGA Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1Mar 8, 2026Puerto Rico Open−17 (68-68-68-67=271)1 strokeChandler Blanchet

Korn Ferry Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runners-up
1Jun 18, 2023Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open−19 (67-62-66-66=261)PlayoffAdrien Dumont de Chassart, Kyle Jones

Korn Ferry Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
12023Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita OpenAdrien Dumont de Chassart, Kyle JonesWon with par on first extra hole

Results in major championships

Tournament2020202120222023202420252026
Masters Tournament
PGA ChampionshipCUT
U.S. OpenCUT
The Open ChampionshipNT

CUT = missed the half-way cut
NT = no tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament20252026
The Players ChampionshipCUTT70

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

Source:[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Rolex Junior All-America First Team". AJGA. 2016-10-20. Retrieved 2025-03-14.
  2. ^ Wells, Kevin (2020-08-19). "UF's Ricky Castillo receives U.S. Open exemption". WCJB. Retrieved 2025-03-14.
  3. ^ "U.S. Open Championship 2020 Leaderboard - Scores, Prize Money, and Stats - CBS Sports". CBS Sports. Retrieved 2025-03-14.
  4. ^ Taylor, G. Allan (2020-09-15). "Gators phenom Ricky Castillo strives for equilibrium as he heads to U.S. Open". The New York Times. Retrieved 2025-03-14.
  5. ^ "Castillo wins Outstanding Freshman Award". SEC Sports. Retrieved 2025-03-14.
  6. ^ "Ricky Castillo, the rare healthy American at the Walker Cup, has become the team's unsung hero". Golf Digest. Retrieved 2025-03-14.
  7. ^ "Florida wins the 2023 DI men's golf championship, Gators' Biondi takes individual title". NCAA. Retrieved 2025-03-14.
  8. ^ "Ricky Castillo Earns PGA Tour Card". Florida Gators. Retrieved 2025-03-14.
  9. ^ Eldridge, Taylor (June 18, 2023). "Recent Florida NCAA champion wins playoff in Korn Ferry debut for Wichita Open victory". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  10. ^ "Ricky Castillo PGA Tour Profile". PGA Tour. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  11. ^ Freeman, Clayton. "Victor Perez withdraws from Players Championship 2025, Ricky Castillo joins field". Jacksonville.com. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  12. ^ "Ricky Castillo wins the Puerto Rico Open as 18-year-old Blades Brown falls back with one bad hole". Associated Press News. 8 March 2026. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  13. ^ "Castillo leads Florida to a title sweep at Gators Invitational". AmateurGolf. Retrieved 2025-03-14.
  14. ^ "Castillo, Gators Win VyStar Credit Union Gators Invitational". Florida Gators. Retrieved 2025-03-14.
  15. ^ "Ricky Castillo". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved March 14, 2025.